The British people are becoming less honest and their trust in government and business leaders has fallen to a new low amid fears that the nation is heading for an "integrity crisis". Lying, having an affair, driving while drunk, having underage sex and buying stolen goods are all more acceptable than they were a decade ago. But people are less tolerant of benefits fraud. The portrait of a nation increasingly relaxed about "low-level dishonesty" emerges in a major study seen by The Independent. Carried out by the University of Essex, which will today launch Britain's first Centre for the Study of Integrity, it suggests that the "integrity problem" is likely to get worse because young people are more tolerant of dishonest behaviour than the older generation. The new centre will look at issues arising from recent scandals such as phone hacking, MPs' expenses and the banking crisis. A separate "trust barometer", published by the PR company Edelman, shows that two out of three people do not trust politicians to tell the truth. Trust levels in MPs from all parties slumped by 36 points to 4 per cent after last summer's riots. People also lost confidence in the young and the police. Only 29 per cent of people believe the Government is doing the right thing, while 38 per cent trust businesses and a surprisingly low 42 per cent trust non-governmental organisations. "There is a chasm between the public's expectations of government and what they think is actually being delivered," said Ed Williams, boss of Edelman. "The vast majority [68 per cent] think the country is on the wrong track."
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